Brake for vehicles.



No. 660,549. Patented 001:. 30, 1900. U. V. BACHELLE.

BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Oct. 2, 1899.; (No Model.) .2 Sheets-:Sheet I;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO v. BAOHELLE, F ouroAco, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

sPEciFIcAT'IoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,549, dated.October so, 1900.

Application filed October 2, 1899. Serial No. 732,298. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO V. BAOHELLE, a

'citizen of the United States, residing at No.

1367 Sheffield avenue, in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brakesfor Vehicles, &c., of which the fol-.

anism heretofore resulting" from a sudden application of the brake willbe avoided.

More specifically stated, the objectof my invention in this regard is toprovide a flexible connection between the wheel to be ar.

rested and the revolving member to which the brake is applied, wherebythe wheel may rotate a slight degree after the former member ceases tomove.

Another object of my invention is to provide a powerful brake especiallyapplicable to automobiles which shall be simple of construction andoperation.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of an automobile-wheel andthe motor for.

driving the same provided with my improvements, certain portions beingshown in sec tion. Fig. ,1 is a cross-section of the plate 9 and itsinclosing sleeve, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 2 is an enlargedverticalsectional view taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In illustrating my invention I have shown it in connection with thedriver of an automobile as an illustration of its greatest field ofusefulness, and this automobile is of the electrical type; but it willnevertheless be understood that any other motor may be substituted forthe electric motor shown without departing from myinvention in its broadsense.

1 represents the axle of the vehicle or automobile, having a driver 2journaled loosely thereon and secured to agear-wheel 3,which lattermeshes with a pinion 4:, journaled in an arm 5, rigidly secured to theaxle 1,and 6 represents the axle or spindle of an electric motor,preferably incasedin a shell 7, the armature and Winding being omitted.One end of the motor-shaft 6 is provided with a slot 8, in which isinserted one end of a flexible connection in the form of a flat elasticblade 9, whose other end isinserted in a similar slot *in one end ofashort shaft 10, upon which the pinion 4 is secured, thus providing themotor with means for communicating its motion to the pinion 4, while atthe same time allowing of aslight degree of independent rotation of boththe pinion and motor and also allowing the motor-shaft to vibrate oroscillateindependently of the pinion-shaft, if necessary. The ends ofthe blade 9 are held against lateral displacement by means of collars 1112, threaded over the ends of the shafts 6 10, respectively, and theblade is slightly less in width than the diameter of the shafts 6 10, sothat the motor-shaft may blade, if necessary.

One side of the shell 7 is provided with a removable cap 13,which ispreferably of sufficient diameter to admit the hub 14 of the motor, andin this cap 13 are mounted the antifriction-bearings of the shaft 6 atthe end opposite that disclosed in Fig. 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.Where two motors are employed, the caps 13 on the opposed sides of theshell 7 are connected together by aunion 15, so as to completely closethe outer end of each cap 13 and render the shell 7 dust-proof.

In providing an electric automobile with my improved brake I prefer toapply the brake to the motor-shaft or, more specifically Ioscillate in aslight degree in the plane of the IOO speaking, to its hub. When the hub14 is constructed of comparatively soft material, I face the same wherethe brake is applied with steel orequivalent material. In the exam- 5ple of my invention shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawingsthe outer side of the hub 14 is provided with a salient flange orresistance-band 16, in which is forced a steel ring 17, forming acontact for the brake- :o shoes. These shoes are shown at 18 and arepreferably three in number, each circular on its exterior and arrangedone after the other around the interior of the ring 17, as better shownin Fig. 3, so as to leave slight spaces I 5 between their ends, thesurfaces of the shoes, if desired, being equipped with strips 19 of somesuitable material for receiving the wear. Arranged concentrically withinthe circle described by the shoes 18 is a revoluble ring 20,

20 which is journaled on a collar or bushing 21 and flanked by twoflanges. One of these flanges is shown at 22 and is proferably formed onthe collar or bushing 21, while the other is in the form of an annularplate 23,

25 sleeved over an annular flange 24, formed on the inner side of thecap 13 and serving also to sustain the bushing 21, against which theflange 23 abuts. These flanges 22 23 are tied together and firmly heldagainst rotation by 0 means of a number of screw-bolts 25, which passthrough both of said flanges and are threaded in the shell 13, as bettershown in Fig. 2, and said screws also pass through notches 26, formed inthe inner edge of each 5 ofeslle shoes 18, whereby the shoes 18 will beheld against rotary movement while permitted to move in a radialdirection, it being understood, of course, that the shoes 18 arelikewise flanked by the two flanges 22 23. Ar-

ranged between each of the shoes 18 and the periphery of the ring 20 area number of wedging levers or arms 27, whose ends are provided withcircular heads 28, seated in circular sockets in the ring 20 and shoes18, re-

5 spectively, the sockets being formed to embrace more than ahalf-circle of each of the heads, so as to prevent dislodgment of thelevers or arms 27, which latter are of greater length than the distancebetween the socket in the ring and the socket in the shoe and arearranged in an oblique or tangential position,

so that when the ring is rotated with reference to the shoes the wedgesor levers 27 will tend to straighten out into'a radial position withreference to the axis of the ring, and thereby force the shoes firmlyagainst the steel ring or band 17 with great pressure, the shoes beingheld against rotary movement with the ring by the stops 25. Thisrelative 6o movement of the ring 20 is effected by means of a toothedsegment 29,arranged between the flanges 22 23 and meshing with a segmentrack 30, formed'on the periphery of the ring 20, the segment 29 beingkeyed or otherwise secured to a short shaft 31, journaled in the cap 13and flange 23 and having an operating-lever'32 on its exterior for theattachment of any suitable connection 33 for applying the brake fromadistance. 'By this means it will be seenthat I locate the brake whollywithin the motor-shell, entirely excluded from dust and moisture, withcapability at the same time of being readily removed for repairs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A brake mechanism for the purpose described having in combination arecessed or flanged hub, circular brake-shoes arranged within the recess.or flange of said hub and adapted to impinge thereagainst, a ringaround which said brake-shoes are arranged, wedging arms arrangedbetween said brakeshoes and ring, means for holdingsaid brake= shoesagainst rotation with said ring and means for rotating said ringrelatively to said brake-shoes, substantially as set forth.

2. A brake mechanism for the purpose described having in combination arecessed or flanged hub on the member to be arrested, circularbrake-shoes arranged within said re= cess or flange and adapted toimpinge thereagainst, a ring around which said brake-shoes are located,wedging arms or levers arranged between said ring and brake-shoes, meansfor holding said brake-shoes against rotation with said ring, a segmenthaving toothed connection with said ring for rotating it and flangesflanking said segment-ring and brake-shoes for holding them in place insaid recessed hub, substantially as set forth.

3. A brake mechanism for the purpose described having in combination aflanged or recessed hub on the member to be arrested, the cap 13 inwhich said hub is journaled, having the flange 24, a bushing sleeved onsaid flange, a ring surrounding said bushing,

the flanges 22 23 also surrounding said bushing, brake shoes arrangedbetween said flanges 22 23 and adapted to impinge against the flange ofsaid hub, a ring arranged around said bushing between said flanges 22 23and around which ring said shoes are located, wedging devices arrangedbetween said shoes and ring, for rotating said ring independently insaid cap and'carrying means for effecting the movement of saidbrake-shoe and means I.

for rotating said shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. In a brake mechanism for the purpose described, a motor,driving-wheels and means for quickly checkingthe rotation of the motorin combination with means for imparting the motion of the motor tothe'drivers and permitting of a limited independent rotation of thedrivers with a gradually-decreasing speed, substantially as set forth.

6. In a brake mechanism for the purpose described the combination of ahub havinga flange or resistance-band, a member 24 independent of saidhub and projecting into said band, a rotary member journaled around saidmember 24, brake-shoes arranged between said rotary member and band,inclined wedging arms arranged between said shoes and rotary member andmeans for rotating said rotary member relatively to said shoes,substantially as set forth.

7. In a brake mechanism for the purpose described the combination of aplurality of brake-shoes, a rotary member around which said brake-shoesare arranged, having teeth, wedging arms between said shoes and rotarymember, a toothed segment engaging said teeth on the rotary member, arocker-shaft for operating said segment and flankingplates between whichsaid shoes, rotary member and said segment are arranged and held and inwhich plates said shaft is journaled,

said shoes, rotary member and segment being arranged in the sameperpendicular plane,

described the combination of a hub having av resistance-band, a memberin which said hub is journaled having the inwardly-projecting flange 24,a ring journaled around said flange 24, a brake-shoe interposed betweensaid ring and band, wedging arms interposed between said brake-shoe andring, a rocker-shaft journaled in said member and means on said shaftfor rotating said ring relatively to said shoe, said member being fixedagainst rotation with said hub, substantially as set forth.

OTTO v. BACHELLE.

Witnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, EDNA B. JOHNSON.

